Do You Have Power With God?

Acts 1: 4-5 NKJV
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1: 8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

What do you think about having power with God. The thought of having real power and understanding the gift that God gave his life for us to have has been on my mind for many months. It seems to me that God must have wanted us to access this power and use it to bring salvation to as many people as we meet. I started thinking about this a couple of years ago when the story about Peter and John going to the temple and meeting the lame man begging. Without hesitation Peter told him, "I do not have any money, but I will give you what I have. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." The man was healed and jumped up in that instant.
I met a beggar on the street in Houston one morning while waiting for the bus. As I looked at her the thought came to me...is it possible that I have the power to give health, healing, mental freedom, or something else to this individual? Do I dare step out and boldly offer to give something of my experience to this person?
These are profound questions. If you have been saved for any time at all, you know the lingo. We all claim to have power with God. I am asking you now how much power do you have. Do you believe that you can offer healing, prophecy, wisdom, insight, salvation to a stranger? Why? Why not? Do you believe like I used to believe that these things were for those more closely devoted to prayer and fasting and not for the masses? Do you believe that this power is only for those called to the ministry? What do you believe about this business of power with God?

John 14:12 NKJV
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

I believe that we have fallen short of our privileges in God. I believe that God has so much more to give every one of us if we will commit ourselves to getting to know him better. God has a plan for your life. What you choose to do with that plan is up to you.

Blessings!

Change...And New Beginnings

Take a good look at the earth. See the earth from the perspective of God. It can be hard to understand how God looks at those of us who walk on His creation! Our God lives in a world that we can only imagine. And He loves every person living on this planet! Take comfort in knowing that no matter what comes your way, God will guide your steps. He will lead you into the uncertain future with a strong hand and your life will be better for it. For those of us who sit at the edge of a new beginning that seems uncertain...I tell you that God will be beside you every step of the way. Trust Him.
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Isaiah 40: 21-31 (NIV)

21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Our lives are continually changing. Sometimes these changes bring hope and wonderful new challenges. Sometimes these changes are hard to bear. There is only one certainty in the world and that God knows and understands every heartache, every pain, every unwanted change that comes to our lives. Trust in the Lord! Praise His Name! When everyone and everything is gone...when you are at the very end of your life...God will be there with you. Hope in the Lord!

Blessings!

Will You Give God Everything?

Psalms 5:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I have always taken solace from the knowledge that God is with me when my heart is broken, when I have failed, or when my burdens seem to be the heaviest. God has never failed to give me exactly what I need at the moment. God is willing to help you, but you must give everything to Him. He needs all the pieces of your puzzle if he is to put your life back together again!

God loves you! My pastor made a point in his sermon that tickled my funny bone and comforted my soul! "It does not matter if everything in your life is going wrong; it does not matter if your kids don't like you, it does not matter if everybody does not like you...God thinks you're the bomb! You're the best in God's eyes! You are special! God loves you!" (Myrick Johnson).

I am so glad that when I go to God, He see accepts me as I am and loves me for my faults and successes. He sees my struggles and loves me through it all! Give all your pieces to the Lord and see what He will do for you.

Blessings!

Are You a Friend of God?

Proverbs 18:24A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

We treasure our friendships and work to maintain good relationships. What about God? Is God your friend? Do you work on keeping your relationship on sound footing? Most of us are so euphoric when we first make the acquaintance of the Lord that we overlook the basic rules of the relationship. Walking around on an emotional high, we forget that God is the other half of the partnership.

Did you know that God has expectations about the relationship you have with him? You already know that God loves you. It is implicit in the sacrifice He made for you through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And yet, there is so much more available to the believer than the initial acceptance of the invitation to be a part of the body of Christ.

Prayer is the means by which you get to know the Lord. Simply stated, prayer is a conversation with God. While God is interested in your cares and problems, sometimes he would just like to hear you say that you love him. I challenge you...Take 15 minutes of your prayer time and ask for nothing! Simply tell the Lord how much you love and adore him...worship him, and nothing more. You will discover that it is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It is not hard because you don't want to do it. It is hard because you (and I) have gotten into the habit of falling on your knees and unloading all our problems into God's ear. While I know God wants to hear your problems...it must be nice for Him to hear about our hopes, dreams, goals, and our love for Him!

When you feel that your prayers never go higher than the ceiling, it is important to remember that feelings do not count in your relationship with God. How solid is your belief that God is real and loves you? If you truly believe that God listens...then it is possible to pray even when it feels like you are talking to yourself. Absolute trust requires that you talk to God no matter how you feel about the conversation. In time the feeling you are looking for will come. God never changes in that his love is everlasting. However, the range of emotions you experience will continue to change throughout your life. God is more than GOOGLE, and He has all the answers. Be patient, and your answer will come!

Blessings!

Pride and Worry

Worry is a plague. We try not to worry, but the more we try not to think about something the more we think about it. God wants you to cast your cares on Him. He loves you and will shine a light in the deepest darkness that surrounds your life.

1 Peter 5:6-8 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

In reading the preceding verses from Peter, I am struck by the discussion. First he talks about humility to God, and then he commands us to cast our cares upon the Lord. The two topics do not seem to go together. Perhaps our pride gets in the way of our humility. It is humbling to admit that we cannot control events in our lives.

Proverbs 16:18-19 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

18Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Pride, humility, and worry...I never grouped these issues together, but it seems that God wants us to take notice of the attributes we develope when we allow pride or worry a place in our hearts. Perhaps God sees our worrying as a symptom of the pride we continue to harbor in a small corner of our hearts.

Meditate on humbling yourself before God while at the same time casting your cares upon Him. You will be blessed, your heart will be lighter, and you will be exalted before God in His time.


Blessings

Do You Have Time To Fulfill Your Purpose?

Some of us think a lot about our purpose in life, others think very little about it. I ask you...does your life and actions fulfill your purpose? Do you even know what your purpose is? Our world has become a fast paced environment where time zips by without hindrance. I personally feel like the world has become a revolving door that passes before my eyes so fast that years have disappeared into the distance without my knowing it. There was a time when a woman's purpose was clearly defined. She would stay home, raise the children and create a comforting environment for the family. At least, that is what many would have us to believe...My personal experience was a little different. My grandmothers both worked outside the home. In their early years they worked in the fields wth the men. One of my grandmothers worked in a factory and in her own home taking in ironing and baby sitting until well into her last years. My mother raised her children and worked at the same time. She held many jobs and is a shining example of motherhood to her children and grandchildren. The Preacher in Eccliastes offered a wonderful discussion about purpose and timing.

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Ecclesiastes 3

1 To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born, And a time to die;

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill, And a time to heal;

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain, And a time to lose;

A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear, And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

8 A time to love, And a time to hate;

A time of war, And a time of peace.

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Stress takes its toll in our lives, effecting our health and our relationships. It is helpful to remember during times of crisis that God is still in control and our lives are in His hands. The first chapter of Eccliastes offers a thought for meditation:

3 What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?

4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes;

But the earth abides forever.

5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,

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One thing is certain...all our stress and heartburnings are really small compared to the greater crises in the world. The earth continues to revolve on its axis, the sun rises and sets every day. This will continue until God decides that it is finished. Nothing we will ever do can change that fact. Take some time to think about your purpose and how you fit into the grand scheme of things in the world. God loves you and me and has a plan for every one of us. His plan and purpose will be better than anything we can devise for ourselves.

Blessings

Where Are the Intercessors?

Isaiah 59 (KJV)

1Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

16And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Isaiah 59 offers a powerful depiction of sin and the ability of God to redeem the lost. It is worth taking the time to read the entire chapter. Our world is falling into sin and deception more with each passing day. Many times our lives are filled with chaos and uncertainty as we approach the future in anxiety and stress. However, God does not want us to live in fear and worry. He wants you and me to trust Him to take care of our future and to also seek justice and salvation for the hurting people around us who desperately need His salvation and comfort.

Prayer is a great weapon against sin. When we pray we touch the throne of God and enlist armies of warriors in our fight to live holy in a sinful world. These warriors go forward to bring peace, conviction, and salvation to those whose names we call in prayer during our dedicated time of intercession. We must learn to trust God and truly believe in the power that our prayers release. To become an intercessor is the greatest position to be occupied by a child of God. Intercession is hard. It is not an easy path and the struggles are many. Intercession is not glamorous; it takes place in your private prayer closet or with other dedicated believers in an old fashioned prayer meeting. But the rewards are many as souls are brought into the kingdom, people are healed and their lives changed forever. Take time today to think about becoming an intercessor.

I wrote the following paragraph in response to a thoughtful email I received last week. Sometimes we succeed in coming up with words that are worth repeating. I really believe in the value of prayer and that prayer works in the life of every believer.

Prayer is a great gift. Through prayer we are lifted up above our problems, distractions, and wounds. Life has a way of wounding the soul and spirit. Having the ability to touch God in prayer gives us hope, comfort, and a sense of our place in the universe. Psalm 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Take a moment today to indulge yourself with the gift of prayer. You will be blessed and in so doing bless others.

Blessings